Snow
by xxjourney
Summary: Freddie discovers Sam's weakness: the white, fluffy stuff that falls from the skies every so often. *Completed, sequel coming soon.
1. Chapter 1

Snow.

An iCarly Fanfic.

xxx

Prologue.

"Sam," Carly Shay said to her best friend, pushing her a little with her foot. "Sam, wake up." The blonde girl opened her eyes a little, mumbling. Carly kept her eyes on the window. "Look," she told Sam, pointing outside.

Sam Puckett stood up from the couch, rubbing the last of the sleep from her eyes, and sauntered over to the window Carly was pointing to. All over the ground was snow. White, cold, icy snow. Carly joined Sam at the window. "Snow," Sam exhaled, a smile brightening her face. Carly nodded enthusiastically. "I'll go get Spencer!" She pulled herself from the window and ran off to her older brother's room.

Sam stayed, gazing at the frozen landscape in front of her. She watched snowflakes falling, falling, falling to the ground, swirling, bumping into each other before landing. It didn't snow much in Seattle, and she knew that almost everyone in the city was already playing in it or watching it, like she was doing now. "Come look, Spencer!" Sam heard Carly yell at her guardian. Sam smiled. Spencer was a grown man of twenty six, but he often reminded her of a twelve year old; he was very energetic and creative. Good thing he was an artist--nothing confined him from using his energy and creativity.

Carly pulled Spencer out of his bed and he landed on the floor with a thud. "Come, look! It's snowing, Spence!" she exclaimed.

Spencer Shay bolted up. "Snow!" he yelled, running over to the living room window by Sam. Carly ran after him and stood at the window with her brother and best friend. "You know what this means," Spencer said, his breath fogging up the chilled glass. "Snow Day!"

Sam and Carly cheered. They loved Spencer's Snow Days. The last one they had was three years ago when they were eleven; they spent all day in the snow, making snowmen, having snowball fights, and trying to make snow angels. There was always enough snow on the ground to last a day or two--sometimes even three--for the city of Seattle to break free of the gloomy chains that rain always had them in. If the Snow Day fell on a school day, Spencer would excuse Carly, Sam would skip, and the boy across the hall, Freddie Benson, would manage to get his spastic mother to excuse him.

Today, however, was a Saturday; no school. Carly ran out the door to get Freddie for their Snow Day, and Sam and Spencer ran to go put on warm, protective clothes. Sam searched through Carly's closet, finding a big down jacket, flannel shirt, and Snug boots. She had slept over the day before, unexpected snow, so she didn't bring anything warm. She pulled on the boots as was looking for a beanie and gloves when Carly came in. She smiled at Sam.

"This is my favorite time," she told Sam while she grabbed some clothes from her closet and throwing a hat and Sam from her dresser drawer. "I love getting all dressed up in warm clothes."

Sam nodded. "I can't wait to pelt some people in the head with snowballs," she said, pretending to throw one to emphasize her point.

Carly laughed and rolled her eyes. "Can you not put rocks in them this time?" she asked her friend, recalling the last Snow Day they had.

Sam shrugged. "I didn't mean to hit Fredward in the face. Just his shoulder."

Carly yanked on a pair of mittens and tossed some gloves at Sam. "You ready?"

"Let's do this, Carls."

xxx

Downstairs, Spencer was in his closet trying to find his right boot. He, like his little sister, loved the snow. It reminded him of when he was a kid. He could remember having snowball fights with his dad, skillfully dodging the ones thrown at him, laughing. Carly was inside, helping their mom make some hot chocolate to bring to the Shay "men" before joining them in the snow. That was before his parents divorced and his mother moved to California, leaving his father to raise the two of them. It went smoothly, but he was a Navy officer; when Spence turned eighteen, he became Carly's legal guardian and Mr. Shay was able to take care of his duties.

A knock on the door awoke Spencer from his daydream. "Hey, Spencer," Freddie said, "Carly and Sam are ready. You done yet?"

"Not just yet, Freddo," he told the boy in the doorway. "I can't find my other shoe."

Freddie came in and kneeled beside Spencer to help look for the boot. "Which one?" he asked.

Spencer held up his left shoe. "This one, the brown one."

Freddie nodded and sifted through the pile of shoes on Spencer's floor. Black high tops, dress shoes barely worn, paint splattered slip-ons. But no brown snow boot. "This is hopeless," Spencer stated. He didn't have very many shoes, but he had a habit of using his own things to make his sculptures.

Something in the corner caught Freddie's eye. "Spence," he said, still looking at the object. "I found it."

Spencer jumped up. "Where?" Freddie pointed to the window sill. Spencer had used his boot to make an artistic flower pot; he had filled the whole thing with soil and stuck in a few seeds. Spencer frowned. "Man," he whined. He quickly shoved his feet into his slip-ons and grabbed his keys, dialing his cell phone.

"Who are you calling?" Freddie asked him.

"My buddy Socko. I can pick up some boots from him." And with that, Freddie left Spencer's room, smiling at his eccentric friend.

xxx

Sam had just nailed Freddie in the back of the head with a snowball when Spencer's car pulled into the parking lot of Bushwell Plaza. He had ordered the kids to go outside without him; he'd join them when he got the boots. Freddie rubbed the back of his head where the icy snowball had made contact, glaring at Sam. She shrugged. "Hey, at least it didn't have a rock in it," she pointed out.

Spencer stepped out of his car, quickly pulling on his gloves and jacket and joined the three fourteen year olds already having a snowball fight. Sam was beaming Carly and Freddie; they didn't stand a chance against her. He jumped in to help Freddie, turning the battle boys against girls. The girls made a better team than the boys did; Carly was a pro at packing snowballs just right, and Sam had the aim and the arm. Like a machine, Carly made a snowball, handed it to Sam, and Sam chucked it. Spencer and Freddie hastily packed the snow and threw it at the wrong angles, hitting trees.

They all laughed when one hit a guy walking by on the street on accident and blamed one another for it.

"Spencer!" Carly yelled.

"Sam!" Freddie exclaimed.

"Carly!" Sam accused.

"Freddie!" Spencer hollered.

The guy just gave them the finger and walked away, shaking his head and muttering something about "irresponsible kids" and "goddamn snow days."

Spencer walked around mocking him, pretending to hold a cigarette like the man was. "I hate children. I hate snow. Hit me again and I'll sue you," he mimicked. He was himself again. "Yeah, well sir, I went to law school," he said. Spencer was being both himself and the man, imitating a fake conversation that never happened. It was things like this from Spencer that made Snow Days the highlights of Sam's, Carly's, and Freddie's young lives. Once winter rolled around, they were constantly checking the weather for an update, to see if maybe there would be snow this year.

The three of them rolled around in the snow, roaring with laughter at Spencer.

xxx

The sun was setting when they decided to head inside for hot chocolate and movies. Spencer cranked up the heater, warming the cold tip of his nose. Freddie went back to his apartment to shower and change and Sam headed to Carly's bathroom to do the same. Carly hung around with Spencer downstairs, waiting for her bathroom to free up. She helped him heat up some leftovers from the night before--chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese--and search for a good movie on TV. Freddie came in from his apartment, dressed in a T-shirt and plaid pajama pants fifteen minutes later. It was a tradition of Snow Day; only wear snow clothes outside and PJs inside.

Sam came downstairs, her hair wet, also wearing pajamas. She made a beeline for the meal, and Carly went upstairs since her bathroom was free. Spencer also headed to his bathroom to take a quick shower. Sam pulled out some plates from the kitchen cabinet, handing one to Freddie. She piled her plate with food and went back to the window to watch the snow. Freddie noticed this, so he left his empty plate on the counter and went over to Sam.

"It's beautiful," Freddie said, staring out the glass. The streetlights turned on, casting a gentle yellow glow on the snow.

Sam nodded. "It looks so soft," she told him, getting lost again in the swirling snowflakes falling to the ground. "Like I could just lie down and fall asleep."

Freddie smiled at Sam. She was still gazing out the window, and he could tell she was daydreaming. Sam pressed her hand on the pane and sighed, the glass fogging up around her hand's warmth. Freddie watched her; this was a new side of his "frenemy," the sweet, gentle girl he had only seen once, maybe twice. Sam pulled her stare from the window and turned to look at Freddie standing next to her. She put her cold hand against his cheek and looked him in the eyes. They stood like that for a few seconds, until Sam pulled away and sat on the couch with her food.

Freddie still stood by the window, watching the back of Sam's head, smiling his famous half grin.

xxx

"Oh, I so knew that was going to happen!" Sam cried out as the last scene of their movie faded into the credits. All four of them--Sam, Freddie, Spencer, and Carly--were all crammed in together on the small couch to stay warm while they watched movies. "They _always_ die in the end," she said. She looked at her friends. Freddie was rolling his eyes at her, Carly was half asleep, and Spencer was already looking for a new movie in the DVD bin.

Spencer nodded. "But every time I watch it, I always think the car salesmen will decide to take back the radioactive dynamite." He pulled out another movie. "How about something snooty and romantic?"

Sam scoffed, Freddie shrugged, and Carly mumbled something. Spencer popped the disc into the player and wiggled himself back onto the middle of the couch between Carly and Freddie. He pressed play on the remote and the movie began.

xxx

About halfway through _My Dear Steven,_ Freddie's eyes were starting to close. He could hear Carly softly snoring and Spencer yawning. He and Sam were the only ones somewhat awake; the movie was a lullaby in itself. All the two main characters--Steven and Emily--did was cry and complain about one another. Freddie stretched and rubbed his eyes to stay awake. For some reason, he wanted to finish the movie.

Sam shivered; Spencer had shut the heater off, since they were all squashed together in one room. Freddie pulled his blanket onto her lap, sharing. She snuggled up against it, instantly feeling warmer. She thought about the snow, how beautiful it was, how clean it was. She smiled to herself, remembering her and Freddie's "moment." Freddie sighed and could feel the sleep plaguing his eyelids. Sam looked over at him.

"Sleepy already, Benson?" she said. "Someone's up past his strict 8:30 bedtime."

Freddie poked her arm. "Can it, Puckett. My mom bumped _up_ my bedtime," he informed her.

"To what? 9?" Now Sam rolled her eyes.

Freddie frowned. "Maybe..."

Sam chuckled softly. "You'll always be stuck under your psychotic mother's thumb. She's a mess." Freddie blinked. He had no argument.

Emily started crying again on the TV. "He said he loved me!" she exclaimed to her friend. Sam shook her head. "If I ever get like that, punch me in the mouth. If I punch you back harder, I'll be okay," she whispered to Freddie, suddenly aware that they were the only ones awake. "Okay," he promised. He turned around and squinted to see out the big window. Freddie poked Sam again. She was lying back, eyes closed, falling asleep, when his poke awoke her. "What?" she whined.

"Watch the snow fall," he told her. He now knew that she was hypnotized by snowflakes. She sat up and squinted, like Freddie, to see. Sure enough, there were pure white flakes falling past the window. Her eyes were instantly glued and her head tilted slightly, the corners of her mouth turning up unconsciously. Sam would've gotten up and went to the window, but that would have meant leaving the warmth of the couch.

She sighed. "I used to be like that," she said after a moment, and again Freddie knew she was daydreaming. "Pure and clean." Sam smiled and turned around to face the movie.

xxx

Just as the final credits were rolling on the screen, Sam could feel a sudden heaviness on her eyelids. She blinked a few times, but to no avail. Slowly, slowly, she was drifting off.

Sam's head landed on Freddie's shoulder softly. At first he thought it was her fist, so he turned quickly, ready to retaliate. Instead, he saw the soft pale skin on her forehead, her curly blonde hair cascading over his shoulder. He had no idea if she was going to wake up and sock him for doing this, but he couldn't help it. She hypnotized him just like the snow did to Sam.

Freddie wrapped his arms around Sam's sleeping form and pulled her close to him. He couldn't wait until the next Snow Day.

* * *

**A/N:** Yayy snow. (:  
Prologue, clearly, as stated at the very beginning; so there's more to come.  
**Reviews?**


	2. Chapter 2

Snow.

xxx

Chapter Two.

Two years later.

xxx

Sam quickly ran to answer the loudly ringing phone on her bed. She was in her bathroom, desperately trying to unclog her bathtub drain. She yanked off her yellow rubber gloves and picked up her cell phone. "What's up, Carly?" she asked her best friend.

Carly shrieked. "Look out the window!" she exclaimed. Sam rushed to the window and pushed back her heavy blue curtains, gasping at what was outside.

Snow.

Sam grinned. "I thought it wasn't supposed to snow this year!" she said. She, Carly, and Freddie had checked the weather reports religiously, hoping to catch a glimpse of impending snowfall.

Carly shrieked again. "I know, but isn't it _awesome?_ I'm sending Spencer to your house to pick you up. Bring pajamas, and you can borrow some of my winter stuff. Be ready in ten minutes. Bye, Sam!"

Sam said her goodbye and hung up the phone. She decided that the most convenient thing to do was dress up in her PJs so she wouldn't have to carry anything. She pulled out a pair of lime green pajama pants, grabbed a white long sleeve shirt and plaid hoodie from her closet, and dressed. She threw her rubber gloves--which were patiently resting on her dresser--into her bathtub to leave the clog for tomorrow and stuck her phone in the pocket of her hoodie. Sam stuck her feet, wrapped in thick, warm socks, into her printed high tops and laced them up.

Just as she was tying up her right shoe, Spencer honked his car horn. Sam opened the door and headed out.

xxx

Freddie woke up that morning to a pounding on his bedroom door. "Freddie, get up! It's snowing outside!" He recognized the voice of Carly before he even opened the door. He opened it while she was still knocking, so he got hit a couple of times on the forehead. He scowled and rubbed the red marks, gesturing for Carly to come in.

She went straight to his closed window, beaming, and opened his curtains to show him the snow. Freddie rushed by her side and smiled. "Snow Day?" he asked Carly.

"Snow Day," she confirmed. "Spencer's already picking up Sam."

xxx

Sam sat in the passenger seat of Spencer's little silver car, watching the white landscape pass outside the chilled window. The radio was on, quietly playing music at least three years out of date. She turned the heater vent to face her, warming her cold cheeks. Spencer kept his eyes on the road, but gestured to the back of the car. "I've got some old junk in my trunk that I have to drop off at Socko's before we head to Casa de Shay," he told Sam.

She nodded. "I thought Socko made socks. What's he gonna use that junk for?" Spencer made a right.

"He's not using it, he's organizing it for me," he told her. "You know those bins I have up in the crawlspace? He's the one that organizes all that for me. I'd die without Socko." Sam found some spare change in his unused ashtray and pocketed it.

"Hey," Spencer said. "I use that change to buy lunch from the dollar menus."

She ignored him. "I always kind of wondered how you managed to keep all that stuff together," she said. Spencer wasn't a very neat guy and always lost his tools. Luckily, Socko was a jack of all trades; sock maker, organizer, and he had all kinds of sweet hookups.

Spencer parked up in front of a small house with a snow covered lawn and popped the trunk clutch. He got out into the cold and rushed to the back of his car. Sam watched him carry armloads of stuff to the front door, where he dumped it and went back to get more. Socko must not be home, she thought.

Spencer pulled out a napkin and pen from his pocket and quickly scribbled a few words on it with his frozen fingers. "Socko: Here's my stuff. Thanks. --Spencer." He tossed to note on top of the pile, weighed it down with a small rock so it wouldn't fly away, and walked back to his car. As soon as he opened the door, a rush of warm wind started thawing his freezing face. "Man, I had so much junk. I'm surprised it all fit back there," he said to Sam, shaking his head. "I knew I should've gotten a minivan."

Sam cracked up. "A Mom-Mobile? Sexy," she teased. Spencer grinned and started the car.

xxx

When Carly left, Freddie told his mom what he'd be doing that day; Snow Day with the Shays and Sam. As always, Mrs. Benson clamored to protect her "precious" by finding the thickest, ugliest jacket in his closet and forcing him to put it on before going across the hall. "Mom!" he begged. "I'll be fine with that new one I just bought last week!"

"But, Freddie," she protested, "that one's not fire retardant!"

"Mom, I don't think I'll have to worry about a fire while I'm out in the snow."

Freddie's mom pursed her lips, having an inward debate. _That Spencer character is always catching things on fire, but you can't really set anything on fire when you're surrounded by frozen water, can you? Oh no! Frozen water! What if a snowflake gets in Freddie's eye and cuts his cornea and he goes blind? What if he trips on a rock and an icicle stabs him while he's trying to get up? What if..._

Mrs. Benson's thoughts were interrupted when she saw Freddie pulling on his new jacket over three sweaters and hoodie. She frowned, desperate to have her son listen. "Are you _sure_ you want to wear that one?"

Freddie nodded, wrapping his scarf around his neck. "It's brand new, Mom, and the other one is, like, what, three years old? It wouldn't fit me."

He gave his mother a hug, and she instructed him to stay away from strangers, squirrels--"They're vicious in this weather," she claimed--and slippery patches on the street. He promised to keep his beanie, gloves and jacket on as he opened the front door and walked across the hall into Carly's apartment.

xxx

"Carly!" Spencer called when he and Sam got home. "We're back!"

Sam went upstairs to check on Carly and steal some clothes, and Spencer headed into his bedroom to get ready. Freddie sat on the couch, his outerwear all resting on the arm of the couch. He was watching TV in his jeans, boots, and a long sleeve thermal shirt underneath one of his regular polos. The sweaters and jacket were making him sweaty.

Spencer soon emerged from his room wearing his snow gear and bright orange goggles. He wandered over to the couch to wait for the girls to finish getting ready. He started talking, but after a while Freddie started tuning out, remembering the last Snow Day. How Sam stared out the window with a soft gaze. The way her blue eyes looked into his brown ones, her chilly hand on his cheek. How he had held her that night as they drifted off to sleep. He wondered if Sam remembered it at all.

Carly and Sam bounded down the stairs, jackets over their shoulders and gloves on their hands. Freddie turned around from the couch, started from his daydream, and smiled at Sam. She bared her teeth at him. Spencer saw her and laughed. "Vicious," he stated, clawing his hand and scratching the air. "Out the door, childs!"

Freddie quickly pulled on his many layers.

xxx

"Shiver shiver quarter turn," Carly said, spinning in the snow. She pulled her cap over her forehead. They had only been outside ten minutes, but already the chill was biting at her face.

Sam made a snowball. "Who should I throw you at?" she asked it. She shook the snowball like Spencer had with his magic meatball all those years ago.

"To Carly," a certain someone said in a deep voice.

"Damn it," Sam mumbled. "I have to obey the magic snowball." She threw it.

"Ow!" Carly exclaimed, putting a hand to the back of her head. "You promised!"

Sam laughed and shrugged. "All's fair in love and war."

"War, Sam?" Carly stooped to pick up a handful of snow. She packed it and threw it at her friend. Even though it didn't snow much, Carly still maintained her fantastic snow packing skill.

It missed her target, and instead hit Spencer, who was already _sculpting_--not building--a snowman. "Fudge butter!" he exclaimed, turning around. "Sam, you promised you wouldn't hit anyone you knew!"

Sam scoffed. "I did not, I had my fingers crossed. And besides, if I really wanted to hit you, I would've gotten your head; you know heads are my specialty."

Freddie came to her defense, "It's true. Take it from someone with first hand experience." He turned his head to Sam. She grinned foolishly.

He couldn't help but laugh.

Xxx

"I'm freezing!" Freddie yelled. He always yelled when he shivered violently.

Carly threw a pinecone at him. "We all are, Freddie."

Sam agreed. "Maybe we should go inside before we get freezer burn."

"Frostbite," Carly corrected.

"Difference?"

Carly rolled her eyes. "Where'd Spencer go?" she asked, walking in the direction he had gone. The last they had seen him was when the four of them teamed up with a few ten year olds to have a snowball fight. After the little kids ran out of energy and headed home, Spencer had wandered off somewhere with the warning of avoiding the yellow snow.

Freddie stamped his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets. Sam looked at him. "How cold _are _you, Benson?"

He hopped around. "On a scale of one to ten? I don't know. I suck at scales."

"Don't you want to go inside, then?"

He shook his head for some reason.

She gripped his arm. "Too bad, kid. I don't want you freezing to death on my watch." She pulled him into the nearest building, Groovy Smoothies, and pushed him under where the heater seemed to be blowing. "Stand here," she ordered. "I'm calling Carly to let her know where we are." She pulled her phone from her pocket, dialed the number, and walked off. "Hey, Carls..."

Slowly the feeling was coming back into Freddie's fingers and face. He was confused about Sam's concern for him. Normally, she would've pelted him with snowballs and left with Carly to find Spencer. But this time, she wanted to make sure he wasn't cold. Of course he wouldn't have died, but it was nice that she seemed to care.

xxx

Carly answered her phone. "What's up, Sam?" She had just found Spencer, chatting it up with the cashier at the Inside Out Burger across the street, when Sam called.

"Freddie's freezing to death," she deadpanned, and Carly heard a toilet flush in the background.

"Sam," Carly scolded, "you can't talk to people on the phone while you're using the bathroom!" She wasn't concerned about Freddie actually freezing to death; Sam knew enough to drag him somewhere warm.

"Carly, my friend, chill. I'm in the bathroom at Groovy Smoothies. I'm not actually using it." She stuck her hand under the automatic soap dispenser and pulled it away quickly, leaving a small puddle of soap on the counter. "I just called to tell you where we're at. Did you find Spencer?"

Carly poked the seat she was on. "Yeah, he's over here at Inside Out flirting with some chick. Oh, look, here he comes." Spencer walked over to Carly, who had seated herself at a booth. "We'll be over there in like five minutes," she said into the phone.

Sam pushed the bathroom door open. "Alright, see you then."

They both hung up, and Sam found Freddie sitting over by a window sipping a smoothie. "Congrats," she said as she made her way to him. "You didn't die."

Freddie shrugged. "Eh, all in a day's work."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Come on, Fredward, Carly and Spencer are on their way."


	3. Chapter 3

Snow.

xxx

Chapter Three

xxx

"Come on, Carly, the movie's starting!" Sam yelled to her best friend, who was upstairs gathering blankets and pillows.

Freddie rubbed his ear; he was sitting by her again on the couch, and her yelling like that was making him dread his choice. "Sam, inside voice."

"Shove it, Benson."

He was about to protest when a blanket hit him in the face. "Here, Freddie, you get the blue one," she threw another at Sam. "Sam, you get the green one, and Spencer, you get the striped one." She tossed pillows to each of them too, then nestled herself at the end of the couch beside Spencer, asking, "What are we watching?"

Spencer picked up the DVD case from the coffee table. "_The Day the World Turned Upside Down. _Maybe it's about bats," he added hopefully.

Carly chuckled and pressed play.

xxx

The movie was good, but Sam wasn't really paying much attention. She kept thinking about ham. "Hey, Carly," she whispered.

Carly looked over at her. "We ran out of ham yesterday." They had known each other for so long that Carly knew when Sam was going to ask for food or when she was going to ask for money. "Sorry, Sam."

Sam sat back on the couch, frowning. "Can we get some when the movie's over?" It was still early in the day, about two in the afternoon.

"Yes, Sam. And good news: I think there's twenty minutes left."

Freddie poked Sam. "You know, there's always something I've wanted to know about you."

She looked at him. "Yeah?"

"Why _do_ you like ham?"

She grinned. "Like I'd tell you."

xxx

To Spencer's dismay, the movie wasn't about bats. But he decided it was good anyway. As the final credits rolled onscreen, he stretched. "Should we go get that ham now?"

Carly nodded and stood up. "We'll just have to go get dressed. Come on, Sam."

Sam stood, yawning. "Let's go get snow geared up, baby."

They both ran up the stairs. Spencer stayed in the living room, putting away the movie stuff. "You getting changed, Freddo?"

Freddie sighed. "I hope my mom'll let me go back outside. She freaks out if I go into fresh air more than necessary."

"You're sixteen. I think she's gotten over her strange phobias," Spencer said with a chuckle.

"She wanted me to wear a fire retardant jacket in the snow."

"Oh my God."

"Yeah."

Spencer folded a blanket. "Just tell her--tell her you need to spend time with your friends. Happy children have happy parents, right?"

"I guess so," said Freddie, with a shrug.

"Come on, Freddie. Go stand up to that woman! Be a man!" Spencer exclaimed.

Freddie stood up from the couch. "Yeah!"

"Tell her fresh air is good for you!"

Freddie got to the front door. "Yeah!"

"Now turn that knob and go across the hall!"

Freddie opened the door, his chest puffed like a penguin.

xxx

"Your clothes aren't dry yet, Freddie," Mrs. Benson said when Freddie told her he was going back outside.

"I'll just wear different clothes, then, Mom." Freddie pulled out some layers from his closet to prove it to her. "See? Look, three sweaters, a sweatshirt--where's my jacket?"

"I dried it and put it in your closet, dear."

Marissa Benson watched her son. She had "trained" him for many years, and now she saw the "training" at work. He could dress his own wounds, perform CPR on a choking victim, check himself for ticks, and knew how to find the closest pharmacy in case he ran out of cloud block. All these years Mrs. Benson had been showing Freddie how to do things, it was "in case this should happen" or "that should happen." Now, she knew he was prepared if something went wrong, and she was proud.

"Later, Mom! I love you," Freddie called over his shoulder as he closed the front door.

And this time, she didn't stop him.

xxx

Sam's eye caught the delicatessen at Meals 4 Less. "Sweet ham!" she declared, running over. She pressed her face to the glass. Freddie, Spencer, and Carly all walked into the grocery store after her. Sam was talking to the ham. "You'll be in my belly, yes you will."

Carly pulled her from the glass. "Quit, you're smearing it," she whispered. Sam frowned but obeyed. Spencer walked over to the counter.

"Hello, ma'am. As you might've already guessed, we're here to purchase some of your delicious looking ham," he said.

The clerk just looked at him. "As long as you keep the blonde one off the glass, I don't care what you want. It takes me hours to shine it just right."

"That's weird," Freddie whispered to Carly, who nodded.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaam," Sam wailed, pouting. A few people turned to look at the "starving" girl.

Spencer chuckled nervously. "Uh, can I have three pounds of your honey roasted ham?" he asked the woman behind the deli counter.

"Sure, why not," she deadpanned, getting the ham for him and putting it on the scale. Sam's mouth watered.

"Eleven dollars," the woman said, and Spencer dug in his pocket for his wallet. Freddie and Carly had to both hold one of Sam's arms so she didn't run for the pork. Everyone knew that if Sam went too long without ham, bad things happened.

Spencer handed over the bills and took the bag, saying "Thank you."

The woman nodded, and Spencer handed the bag of pork to Sam, who gleefully pulled out a slice.

As soon as the four of them left the grocery store to get to Spencer's car, snow started falling. Sam chewed her ham and kept her eyes on the sky. Freddie stuck his tongue out to catch some falling flakes.

xxx

Of course, Sam finished the ham before they even made it back the Bushwell Plaza. She threw the empty bag at Freddie, who was sitting in the backseat beside her.

"Thanks," he said, pulling the bag from his face.

"No problem, Fredweird." Sam wiped her hands on her jeans and patted her full stomach. "So, Spencer, are we gonna play in the snow some more?"

Spencer nodded. "Yeah. But I think we should go somewhere else, other than outside the apartment."

Carly, who sat in the front seat beside her brother, looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Spencer grinned.

xxx

Spencer pulled his little silver car over by a park, where a large group of people had gathered. They got out of the car, and Sam shoved her hands in her pockets.

"What's going on?" Freddie asked Spencer.

"It's a giant snowball fight!" Spencer exclaimed. All three faces brightened up.

"How'd you find out about it?" Carly wondered.

"I saw it on the news while I was getting dressed."

A devilish grin crossed Sam's face just thinking about all the people she could hit. "I'm gonna go scope out the competition," she said to her friends, "I'll be right back."

"I feel bad," Carly stated once Sam left.

"For who?" Spencer responded.

"Everyone on the team opposite Sam. They're going to get bruised."

"Well, at least ice is, like, right there," Spencer quipped.

Freddie watched Sam walk away. "I'm going to, uh, help her." He left before Spencer or Carly could say anything.

xxx

Good thing Sam was wearing Carly's bright purple coat. Freddie easily spotted her far away from the crowd, under a tree. He walked up behind her.

Just like two years before, Sam was watching the snow; only now she was out in it, instead of staring at it from a window. She stuck her hand out and caught a few flakes in her palm.

Freddie stood beside her. "You're scoping out the competition?"

She shook her head. "So I lied. Big deal. I'm not Mother Theresa."

He watched her quizzically, her eyes dreamy and watching the snow before her. "You sure do have a lot of secrets," Freddie said.

"Like what?" Sam asked, still staring straight ahead.

"Like--this." Freddie stuck his arms out before him to point at the snow.

"How do you mean?"

Sam was different when she was concentrating on snow. She wasn't violent and she wasn't overly protective, like she was with her love of ham, but she was vulnerable and even--gasp--sweet. It had been two years since Freddie last saw her like this, and that was 730 days too many.

Freddie didn't say anything. Instead, he took her cold hand in his and watched the snow with her.

He smiled when she gripped his hand back.

* * *

**A/N:**OKKK HUGE APOLOGY FOR THE MASSIVELY SLOW UPDATE.  
I thought I sent it to my beta, but I hadn't gotten the edited version, so I was like, "What the heck?" and then I realized didn't DocX it and it's just a big mess and...ugh.  
Anyway...I hope you don't hate me.  
Review?


	4. Chapter 4

Snow

xxx

Chapter Four

xxx

"On your marks...get set...throw!" the referee called out. He had just explained the rules for the huge snowball fight to the group of about a hundred, and now they were ready to fight.

The crowd was split in half by a rope, fifty people on each side. Luckily, Sam and Carly were on the same team. Freddie and Spencer, however, were pushed to the opposing side before they could protest.

"Quick, Carly!" Sam ordered. "I suck at making snowballs, and I need your help!"

"Okay, okay! Hold on, my hands are cold!" Carly puffed on her frozen palms.

"Here, I'll help." Out of seemingly nowhere, a brunette guy, around seventeen, came up to Carly and Sam.

Sam didn't pay much attention to him; her mind was on the competition before her. "What's your name?" she asked quickly, as the boy packed snow.

"Jacob," he said, handing her the snowball.

Carly smiled, rubbing her hands together. "Hey, Jacob. I'm Carly, and this is Sam."

Sam chucked the snowball.

xxx

"Man down!" someone yelled dramatically. Spencer turned to see a guy with his hands wrapped around his throat and snow decorating his chest. "You guys'll have to go on without me!" he said to his friends, who were laughing.

Spencer chuckled and threw a snowball. It made contact with someone on the opposite team. "Bingo!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. Just as he did, he got hit in the face with snow. "Crap," he mumbled, bummed.

He didn't know where Freddie ran off to, so he was virtually alone in this huge sea of snow throwers. It was better that way; now he could pay attention to the game.

"Oh, hey! This is a cool rock."

Pay attention as best he could, anyway.

xxx

The whistle blew. Every snowball being prepared to be tossed fell to the ground. The first of three rounds was round over; everyone was given a twenty-minute food break. Sam leaned against a tree and rubbed her hands together. It was an intense battle. With snow flying from every which way, she found it difficult to dodge every one, but she managed. Carly was even focused, much to Sam's surprise, and not drooling over Jacob. Well, not actually _drooling,_ since Carly had a brain and knew that guys are just girls with--

"Sam!" It was Carly. She had a water bottle in one hand and a hot dog in the other. "You want nutrition?"

Sam nodded and hurried to the food table. She picked up a can of Peppy Cola, three hot dogs with mustard, and a bag of barbeque chips. Jacob followed.

"Where do you want to eat, Carls?" Sam asked. Obviously they wouldn't be sitting on the snow-laden ground.

Carly motioned to a group of tables at the far end of the park. "Jacob's eating with us, too."

Jacob smiled at Sam politely. She just looked at him. He was a pretty good looking dude, but Sam wanted to stay focused on the snowball fight and not on the hot guy that was hanging around her and Carly.

They wandered up to the tables, which were already filled with people. Sam spotted Freddie and Spencer at a table. Her stomach did something funny. She ignored it.

Carly pulled Jacob with her free hand. "Come on, Jake, let's get a good seat."

"Is she always like this?" Jacob asked Sam.

Sam shrugged. "Pretty much. She's alright though." And she smiled.

xxx

"So how old are you?" Carly asked Jacob as the three of them sat. It was strange that he had been around them for a half hour and Sam and Carly didn't know much about the boy and vice versa. But there hadn't been much talking during the war.

"Seventeen and a half," he answered, popping open his can of Mocha Cola. "What about you guys?"

"Sixteen," Carly said.

"Sweet. Can you drive yet?"

"I've got my permit," Carly said. "But the only one with a license is our friend Freddie." Sam didn't feel like learning to drive, at least not yet.

Jacob took a bite of his hot dog. "Freddie, eh? Your boyfriend?"

Carly giggled. "No, silly. I'm single."

Sam sighed. Now Carly was in full on Flirt Mode, and Sam was not going to sit through an entire conversation of this. "Hey, guys," she said. "I'm gonna go find Freddie and Spencer so they know where we are."

Jacob raised an eyebrow at the mention of another male's name.

Carly didn't understand why Sam suddenly seemed to care, but whatever. "Okay, Sam. Meet us back here in fifteen?"

Sam nodded, throwing her empty can and food wrappers into a nearby trashcan.

xxx

"Help," Sam said as she wandered up to the table.

Spencer and Freddie looked at her, confused. "What?" they asked.

Sam sat. "Carly met this dude and now she's fawning over him."

They both nodded. Carly was known to do that. "You don't like him?" Freddie asked.

Sam took a handful of Spencer's chips. "I'm in a competition, Fredward. I can't get distracted and lose focus." She made a face. "Ew, Spencer, sour cream and onion with peanut butter?"

Spencer had a peanut butter sandwich with sour cream and onion chips. "This coming from the girl who drinks pickle juice?"

Sam shrugged and took a sip of Freddie's Mountain Fizz, but he didn't bother taking it away. "You can get mono and die from doing that," he told her.

"Doing what, Freddison?"

"Sharing drinks with people."

Sam scoffed. "I don't really care."

Spencer sat in silence, watching the two and eating.

"Well, you should care," Freddie retorted. "When you die you lose a big part of your life."

"Stop taking your quotes from Brooke Shields."

"Stop being so careless."

"Stop telling me what to do."

"Stop--" Freddie started, when Spencer looked at his watch and exclaimed, "Well, we should be getting home now. Sam, go on and get Carly. It's getting late."

Truth was, he was tired of Sam and Freddie constantly fighting about the stupidest things. They didn't even protest to stay.

"Fine," Sam grumbled, standing up.

xxx

Sam walked back to Carly's table, thinking. She didn't really want to stay here, at this park, to fight in the snowball war. It was that kid Jacob's fault. He _had_ to get Carly to turn mindless so Sam could leave the table, and Freddie _had_ to start with his "mono" crap, which led to Spencer wanting to go home. Everything was Jacob's fault. Sam made a mental note to tell him if he asked why they were leaving.

That is, once he stopped sucking on Carly's face.

Sam cleared her throat and the two separated. Carly chuckled nervously. "Uh, heh."

"Come on, Carls, Spencer wants to go home," Sam said.

Carly furrowed her brows. "Now? But we--"

"Yes, now. Let's go."

Carly stood up remorsefully, said bye to Jacob--who didn't seem to care that his new girlfriend was leaving him--and followed Sam to Spencer's car. "Why does Spencer want to go home?" Carly asked Sam.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know," she lied. Of course she knew. Her and Freddie's fighting was ruining the day, even though it was still all that guy Jacob's fault in Sam's eyes.

"So, you and that dude going out now, Carls?" Sam elbowed her friend playfully, and Carly blushed.

"I hope so. He's really sweet."

Sam pulled her beanie low over her frozen ears. "Best of luck?" she offered.

"Thanks," Carly said with a chuckle.

xxx

In the car, Spencer was singing along to the radio, singing a duet with Carly. Sam and Freddie were in the backseat again, sans ham wrapper.

"Hey," Freddie whispered to Sam, "sorry about earlier."

Sam shrugged. "It's no big deal. We fight all the time."

"Yeah, but I just want you to know that even though you don't care if you die, I do."

He turned to look out the window, and didn't catch Sam blushing.

* * *

**A/N**: Teenie bit o' Seddie. (:  
Oh yeah, and the iCarly cast is shooting a "sequel" to iKiss, called iThink They Kissed, where Carly figures "it" out.  
To learn more, visit Dan Schneider's Twitter. His account name is DanWarp.

Reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

Snow

xxx

Chapter Five

xxx

Night was falling quickly on Seattle. Spencer took the kids out to dinner at Peninsula's, a tropical-style restaurant, instead of straight home, just because. The place was full of families, happily chattering and eating. It was warm inside, so the four of them quickly shed their coats.

They sat at a booth, Sam taking a seat by the window, and Carly sliding in beside her. Freddie sat across Sam, Spencer to his right.

"Whatcha gonna get, Carls?" Sam asked, skimming the menu.

"I recommend the fish tacos," Spencer said to his sister. "They _are_ the bomb."

Sam bit her lip to try to keep from laughing. Spencer had been getting a little older and must have felt he was losing his "youth lingo."

Carly shrugged. "I always get the same thing when we come here. I need to mix it up."

"I recommend the fish tacos," Spencer repeated, making Carly chuckle.

"Yes, Spencer, they _are_ the bomb."

Sam kicked Freddie under the table, hard enough for him to pay attention, but not hard enough to hurt him. He looked up at the blonde girl. "What?"

"I want to know what you're going to order," Sam said.

Freddie glanced at his menu quickly, to check the name of the food he was interested in. "The 'Tucan,' " he said. "Some sandwich with teriyaki chicken and pineapple."

Sam nodded. "Sounds good."

A man walked up to the table, notepad in hand. "Hi, you guys ready to order?" he asked with a smile.

xxx

Sam poked Carly just after the waiter took their orders. "Come on, let's go to the bathroom."

Carly slid out of the booth, Sam behind her, and headed over to the bathroom. Once there, Sam checked each stall to make sure no one was there. Surprisingly, the entire bathroom was empty, save for the two of them and Bob Marley singing on the loudspeakers.

Sam sat on the counter top between the two sinks, and Carly stood beside her. "What's up?" she asked her friend.

"I think I might have a slight problem," Sam said, kicking her legs and staring at a bright blue tile on the floor. "I think I'm kind of--you know, like, there's this guy, and me and him..."

Carly interrupted with, "Oh no, Sam. You're not pregnant are you?"

Sam laughed out loud. "No! Of course not! And why suddenly assume I'm pregnant?"

Carly blushed and chuckled. "Then what's wrong?" she asked, ignoring Sam's question. It's not that she ever expected Sam to be pregnant, but girls are always careful and nervous when they tell someone, aren't they?

"Uh, never mind, actually. I'm sure I'll be fine," Sam said, hopping off the counter and turning on the faucet. Maybe now wasn't the right time after all.

Carly shrugged; Sam changing her mind isn't exactly the most unlikely thing. However, Sam washing her hands is surprising. "Look everyone! Sam's getting clean!" Carly called out to an invisible audience. Sam giggled and flicked water at her friend. "Oh shut up!"

xxx

"Don't think I don't suspect anything," Spencer said to Freddie once the girls left for the bathroom.

Freddie looked over at him confusingly. "What are you talking about, Spence?"

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, Freddo. You and Sam..."

"Me and Sam what?" Freddie was trying desperately to play stupid, although his ears were burning red.

"Okay, then. Just pretend I don't know anything," Spencer said, winking. "I'm always here if you need to talk."

Freddie looked straight ahead, thinking about what Spencer was getting at. Well, it's not like he and Sam were even doing anything wrong. All he had done was hold her hand that day and kiss her a long time ago. All Sam had done was put her hand on his cheek and look into his eyes an even longer time ago. They were simple--almost childish--things. Nothing worth using protection or good judgment, which must've been what Spencer was getting at.

"Well, actually, Spencer--" Freddie started, but right then the girls came back. Sam scooted back into her place in front of Freddie. "Did you miss us?" Carly asked, like they had been gone for years.

"Of course, dear sister," Spencer said, and Freddie nodded ever so slightly at Sam.

She didn't notice.

Spencer did.

xxx

"Aren't the fish tacos good?" Spencer asked Carly, who was happy nibbling at her dinner.

She nodded, smiling. "You were so right, Spencer!"

Sam put her fork on her empty plate and sighed cheerfully. "That was a pretty great chicken salad."

"And half of a Toucan, too, Sam," Freddie reminded her. She had been gazing at his sandwich hopefully from the moment the waiter came by with the orders, so he cut the sandwich in half and handed it over to Sam, who swallowed it practically whole.

She shrugged. "What can I say?"

Spencer's phone rang. "Carly, it's Granddad. Come with me, he'll probably want to talk to you."

Carly slid out of the booth. "Be right back," she said to her friends, and followed Spencer outside.

Sam kicked Freddie again. He had been quiet nearly all dinner. "Hey! Talk!" she demanded.

"More people are killed by donkeys than airplanes annually."

_Figures he would say something only a nub would know_, she thought.

"Uh, thanks for the knowledge," she said.

He nodded. Something still seemed to be bugging him, though.

Sam frowned and blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Come on, Freddie. Got your panties in a twist?"

Freddie chuckled. "No, Sam, promise."

"O-kay," Sam said in a sing-song voice. She loosened the tops on the salt and pepper shakers, then put them back in the little basket holders, next to the menus. Freddie watched her, not able to with hold his smile.

"Going old school on the pranks?"

Sam nodded, grinning. "You just can't mess with a classic."

xxx

Outside, Spencer's call with Granddad ended quickly. He was just calling to say hello and check up on his "two favorite grandkids." After a brief conversation with Carly, they hung up.

"It's so cold," Carly said. They had only been outside for a little while, but she had forgotten her coat in the restaurant and was only in the cold air with a long sleeve shirt and jeans.

Spencer nodded, rubbing his arms. "Don't touch the snow."

"Why would I touch the snow?"

"I don't know, but if you do you'll just get colder."

Carly laughed. "You're crazy, Spence. And why, exactly, are we still out here?"

Spencer looked around, thinking Freddie and Sam would jump out at them from nowhere. All that was around was the parking lot.

"Does something seem kind of--different with Sam and Freddie?" Spencer asked his sister, who shrugged.

"How do you mean? They seem the same to me."

"Trust me, Carly, there's something different. Just watch them a little carefully. Now let's go inside before we become ice sculptures, and, as cool as that would be a way for _me_ to die, you're still a young child and need to live your life."

Carly laughed again. "A sculptor dying as a sculpture. That's ironic."

And with that they pushed the doors to the restaurant open.

xxx

"Chicken wings!" Carly whispered harshly into Sam's ear as she and Spencer approached the table.

Sam jumped. "Where?"

"Nowhere. Sorry Sam just wanted to scare you."

Sam glared at her best friend, who glared back.

"Grrr," Carly said.

Sam rolled her eyes at the weirdness of Carly and turned her attention to Spencer. "We going now?"

Spencer took a last sip of his Mocha Cola and nodded. "Yeah, I just have to get the waiter so he can give me the check."

"Who needs the check? Let's just go while we have the chance!" Sam replied.

"Because, Sam, respectable members of society pay their bills," Freddie told her.

"Respectable members," Sam mocked, tossing her head to the side with each syllable.

Freddie laughed and threw his napkin at her. Sam smiled in return.

Spencer looked at Carly knowingly. She raised an eyebrow.

xxx

"What should we do, what should we do, what should we do?" Spencer exclaimed when they were back in the apartment.

"I'm taking a shower," Carly said, already halfway up the stairs.

Spencer snapped his fingers, saying, "Good idea," and headed to his own bathroom.

This left Sam and Freddie alone downstairs, a flashback of two years ago.

Once again, Sam migrated to the window to watch the last of the snow melt away.

Once again, Freddie stood beside her, silent.

They could hear the water turn on in Spencer's shower. He hummed, his voice echoing through the walls and hallway.

Sam leaned her forehead on the glass. "Why did you throw your napkin at me?" she asked suddenly.

Freddie frowned. "What?"

"Why did you throw your napkin at me?" Sam repeated, not taking her head from the window.

"Um, I--well, uh, why does it matter?"

"Just curious."

"Oh."

Once more, Sam struck him with a random question: "How come you care if I die?"

Freddie sighed. "I just do, Sam. You really mean a lot to me," he admitted.

She smiled. "Do you love the snow?"

"Yes."

"Me too."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Of course," Freddie replied. "You're always looking out at it."

"I hope every year that it'll snow. I look out my window every morning, thinking, 'Maybe today it'll snow. Maybe today Freddie will pay attention.' "

"What do you mean that I'll pay attention?"

Sam shrugged. She lifted her head from the window and looked up at him. "You pay more attention to me when it snows."

"I do?"

Her response was a nod of the head. "Last time you held me when you thought I was asleep. Today you held my hand."

Freddie couldn't take his eyes off hers. She seemed too sincere, even warm.

"You act differently," he told her. "It's like the snow is your weakness."

Sam looked down at the floor. "I have one more."

Freddie chuckled. "I thought you were Sam Puckett, fearless and strong. What's your other kryptonite, Super girl?"

She lifted her head. "You."

* * *

**A/N:** Yessir, chapter five.  
The restaurant is based on a place I live nearby, Island's. They do actually have the "Toucan" sandwich, too, I ate it last time I went there. :D

Anyway...reviews = (:


	6. Chapter 6

Snow

xxx

Chapter Six

xxx

"You."

Freddie stepped back, nervous. "Huh?"

"You," Sam repeated. "Three letters. One word."

"Huge meaning," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing. How am I your weakness, Sam?"

She shrugged and walked over to the couch. "You distract me. Have you noticed that I mess with people less when you're around?"

Freddie thought. Had he noticed? It was hard to tell.

"Why would you do that?" he asked.

Sam sat, sighing heavily. "Because--because I'm trying to show you I can change."

Now Freddie was confused. "Change? Why in the world would you want to change?"

"So you can notice me!"

"I notice you everyday, Sam."

Sam shook her head, blonde curls bouncing. "No, you just _see _me. You don't notice me like you do with Carly."

"Is that what this is about? Carly?"

"Well, not completely, but--"

"Sam, you're crazy."

She looked over at Freddie, who sat shaking his head.

"I've been told that."

He sat beside her on the couch, moving from his place on the big black chair. "No, I mean, like… to think I don't notice you," he said frantically. "That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard."

Sam chuckled at Freddie's slight language. He continued, "You are your own person. I see you and Carly differently. Carly is kind of like someone you can tell everything to, and she'll help you out with _words_," he stated, trying to make sense to the blonde next to him. "You are the kind of person that would go out and murder someone that hurt your friends. You love everyone in your life, as much as you don't want to."

"Yeah, but Carly's smart and pretty and blah blah blah," Sam protested, waving her hand in the air with each "blah." Freddie could feel a smile quirking on his lips, but quickly continued with his defense.

"It doesn't matter, because you are too!"

The words sort of flew out of Freddie's mouth before he could catch them, but he was glad they did.

Sam blushed. "You're such a softie, Benson," she said after a minute of silence.

"I've been told that," he smirked. This caused Sam to do the same.

Suddenly the trance that the snow had put on Sam faded away. "Don't say anything about this to anyone, got it?" she told, threateningly.

Freddie nodded. "Of course. Our little secret." He placed a finger to his lips. Then he leaned over and pecked Sam on the cheek. A smile exploded off Sam's face as his tende, soft lips touched her skin.

xxx

Four months later.

xxx

Freddie couldn't sleep. It was five in the morning, but his eyes were wide open, his mind wandering. He stood and went to his window to look over the city. The snow had long since melted, yet the memories remained, making him insomniac.

He sighed and crawled back into bed. Sleep would have to come eventually.

xxx

Sun awoke Carly at ten in the morning. Her open window blew in a gentle breeze. Sam was asleep on the floor, just lying there, snoring lightly. Carly debated whether or not throwing a pillow at Sam would be a good idea, when her phone rang. She searched for it, until she found the phone underneath the pillow. The caller ID read "Fredward E. Benson"; Sam had programmed his entire name.

"What's up Freddie?"

"Eh, not much just woke up."

Carly stood up from her bed and stretched. "Small world. Me too."

"What're you and Sam doing today?"

"Dunno. Want to just come over and watch movies with us?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Alright, see you whenever," Carly said, kicking Sam awake.

" 'Kay. Later, Carly." Freddie hung up.

"What'd ya do that for?" Sam grumbled, upset that Carly had woken her. Sam stirred, but soon blinked her eyes open.

"Because I want you to get dressed. Or at least brush your teeth."

"How did I fall asleep on the floor?"

"Beats me. But hey, Freddie's coming over soon to hang out," Carly said, heading over to her bathroom. Spencer had convinced her even more about the "secrecies,", as he had put it, between Sam and Freddie over the months. Carly was now completely sure they both had some kind of chemistry, although they hid it extremely well.

"Aw, why?" she whined, rolling over onto her back and putting a hand over her eyes to shield herself from the bright sun. "I thought it was just gonna be me and you, Carls."

"Well, oh well. Brush your teeth. I smell your jenk breath from here."

Sam laughed. "Jealous!" with that she scurried to the bathroom, a hand covering her mouth.

xxx

Freddie yawned as he stood in front of his closet. His clothes were getting small, and fast. There wasn't a whole lot that fit him well, and he didn't want his mom to go out and pick up anymore "nerd clothes" for him. She had offered to go buy some outfits, but he politely declined. It was time for him to shop on his own, albeit he was dirt broke.

He thought about something Sam would like. Surprisingly, she had ceased making too much fun of his clothes in the last few months, and he was grateful.

After a while, he decided on a new gray v-neck T-shirt under the black and red plaid button down shirt Sam complimented him on once. He pulled out a clean pair of shorts from a pile. Freddie thought about how most guys just searched their room for something wadded on the floor, smelled it, and if it was too revolting, just put it on. Unlike most guys, he cared about his appearance. With that, he shoved his bare feet into a pair of flip flops, and was off.

"Mom?" he called out, looking around. "Mom, you home?"

No reply. He did, however, find a note on the counter. "Went out to sunscreen convention; be back by seven. Leftovers in the fridge. Love you! - Mom"

He yawned again. Mrs. Benson had been trusting Freddie home alone since the summer started. He usually went over to Carly's or slept in and watched TV all day anyway, so she had a pretty good idea of what he would be doing most days. Freddie's leash had been loosened a little, although it wasn't gone altogether. He thought about how Sam criticized by asking when his mom was going to 'cut the cord'. But he no longer let this bother him. His curfew was still nine, which was pretty lame, in his opinion. Sam was always telling him about all the parties and things that she and Carly would go to at night, the ones where people got drunk and made out with each other. She said they both only went because it was hilarious when a straight guy got drunk and made out with a sober gay guy. He liked Sam's sense of humor. She had told him, "You know, you shouldn't go. I don't want you to kiss any guys, no matter how badly you want to."

He had laughed dryly. "Very funny, Sam. Don't be jealous just because I get guys easier than you do." He had intended it to be a playful poke, but she had turned it on him.

"You've tried?"

xxx

"Sam says: this movie sucks eggs."

"You remember that?"

"Of course, nubby. I can never forget your sad attempts at rebellion."

"Sam, you picked the movie."

"Yeah, but you're the one who bought it, Carly."

"No, that was Spencer."

"Oh. Let's blame this all on Spencer, then."

The three of them were staring at Carly's TV, a movie with lame graphics and cheap special effects moving across the screen.

"He got it on sale for like, three dollars."

"There's a reason it was three bucks."

"Yeah, it sucks. As I have already said."

"Should we turn it off?"

"No. _Freddie_ should."

"Why me?"

"You're closer. Now go." Sam nudged him toward the TV.

"I'm closer? You're sitting right next to me!"

"Aw, come on. Respect women."

Freddie scoffed, but stood up and pressed the "stop" button on the DVD player. "Where's the remote, anyway?"

Sam lifted it from her lap. "Right here."

He tried to glare, but her smirk made him laugh instead. "Jeez, Sam."

"In my pants."

"What?" Freddie was completely oblivious, but Carly was laughing hysterically.

Sam maintained her smirk as she told him, "Nothing. I'm hungry."

"Oh no!" Freddie exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "The apocalypse is near!"

Sam punched him playfully. "Make me a sandwich?"

"What about Carly?"

They both looked at their friend, who was still laughing.

"I don't think she can make food in that state," Sam said.

"Ugh. Fine." Freddie pushed himself up from the couch.

Carly's giggles filled the apartment and she clutched her stomach, tears rolling down her cheeks. "In her pants!" she gasped. "And he doesn't get it!"

Sam smiled and rolled her eyes. "Gotta love that song."

"What song are you talking about?" Freddie called out from the kitchen.

"Zaplook it!"

"Make me!"

"Your mom!"

Freddie grabbed an unopened bag of chips from the counter and tossed it at Sam's head. "Eat!" he commanded. "I'm still making your food."

She grinned and popped open the bag. Carly stood up from the floor, where she had ended up during her hysteria. "Aahah," she said, wiping her eyes. "Good times." She sat over by Sam on the couch. "Chips?"

"Freddie gave them to me."

"I see. How come?"

"He's making me a sandwich and I guess he didn't want me to eat your couch while I waited."

Carly nodded and got up, walking over to Freddie, who was whistling and pulling stuff out of the refrigerator. "You're feeding Sam?"

He searched for mayonnaise. "It's better than her eating all the furniture, no?"

Carly found it a little ironic that Sam had said the same thing.

She chuckled. "Definitely. We don't have any lunch meat, though."

"You're right." Freddie stood up straight, jar of mayo in his hand. "I guess I could get some from my place." He put the jar on the counter and headed over to the front door.

"Aah, aah, whaa?" Sam asked, noticing the boy at the front door.

"I'm getting meat for you to devour in between slices of bread," Freddie replied. "I'll be right back."

She nodded in approval and he let himself out. Carly noticed that Sam looked at the closed door for a moment longer after Freddie had left.

"So..." she said casually, situating herself on a barstool.

Sam picked up a magazine off the coffee table. "So."

"You and Freddie," Carly blurted.

"Me and Freddie what?" Sam said, unfazed, flipping through the magazine.

"Him cooking for you, you being all nice to him. And stuff," Carly said, smiling.

Sam looked up from her magazine. "Are you getting at what I think you're getting at?" The tips of her ears turned a little red, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. _Our little secret. _

"Oh, I don't know." Carly spun on her barstool. "It depends. What do you think I'm getting at?"

Sam laughed. "I gotta tell you, Shay, I've taught you well."

"What?"

"You, all trying to get information out of me by saying practically nothing. My hat is off to you." To prove her point, Sam removed an imaginary cap from the top of her head.

Carly bowed. "Thank you, thank you. But seriously, Sam, anything going on?"

"Nothing you should know about," Sam said mischievously.

Carly was about to ask what she meant when Freddie came in. "I got cold cuts for Sammy Sunshine."

Sam made a face at the nickname, but secretly...she loved it.

_Yup, Carly. Nothing you should know about._

_

* * *

_

A/N: **THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER.**

Buuuut...do not stress, my wonderful readers; I'm making a sequel called "Sun." Look for it soon & thanks a million for reding!


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